Black Swan: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Kevin Yonando · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Cygnus atratus
- Family
- Ducks, Geese, and Swans
- Size
- About 130 cm
- Habitat
- Park lakes and canals
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
All black with a red bill and white flight feathers that show when it flies. Mute Swan is all white with an orange bill.
Voice
Soft trumpeting calls.
Good to know
It comes from Australia and was brought over as a park bird. Some now live free in the Netherlands.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Mute Swan. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in park lakes and canals. It is especially common in New Zealand. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.